Goin’ Geocaching
This “treasure hunt” has a high-tech difference.
by Anne Gallant

As we trekked along the forest path, we knew we were getting close. My 10-year old daughter was carrying the GPS receiver. “We’re only 10 meters away!”, she called out. It was time to start scanning the vicinity for a likely hiding spot and the treasure that awaited us. “I call it when we find the box,” exclaimed my son. The pile of rocks off to the left with the fallen branches strewn across seemed like a likely location. Sure enough, moving the branches aside, we could see the gleam of metal in the shadows. My son excitedly reached in, drew out the tin and threw open the lid to reveal its booty.

No, we were not playing the latest “pirate” adventure game. We were geocaching, an outdoor adventure sport that involves searching for a hidden cache of “treasure”, this time at a local nature area.

Contents a mystery

Geocaching is an exciting and affordable family activity that uses hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to guide players to a specific location where someone has placed a hidden cache of “treasure.” A typical geocache is a waterproof container that is loaded with trinkets and small gizmos to trade. There could be almost anything in the cache, from coins and stickers to small toys and band aids — you never know what you will find! Visitors to a cache are welcome to take something and leave something in return. You’ll also find a small notebook to log your visit and read about others who were there before you.

The challenge of finding the cache hiding spot, the promise of “treasure” at the end, and the cool-factor of using GPS technology make geocaching appealing to kids and adults alike. There are geocaches all over the world, in the wilderness, in urban areas, in neighbourhood parks, and along local trails and canoe routes. Your family likely won’t need to go very far from home to find your first cache!

Geocaching is a fun way to teach children about their neighbourhood and community. You and your family might even come across a ‘travel bug’ in a cache. Take it with you and leave it in the next cache you visit – keep the travel bug on the move! Log on to follow the movement of the travel bug and teach children about world geography!

Geocaching is easy to do. All you need is access to the Internet, a hand-held GPS receiver and a sense of adventure! The GPS unit uses satellite signals and base maps stored in the unit for navigation. A basic model GPS unit will cost about $150. That may seem expensive, but when you stop to consider that geocaching is a year-round activity that virtually everyone can participate in, it’s a bargain!

Getting started

Here’s how to get your family started on a geocaching adventure. Once you have a GPS unit,

Go to www.geocaching.com and type in the postal code of the area where your family would like to go geocaching. This will give you a list of caches that have been set up in that area. The website includes a difficulty rating to help you plan trips to suit the age and ability of the players.

Program the coordinates of the caches your family selects from the website into your GPS manually, or use a freely available computer program to automatically transfer the coordinates to your GPS.

Travel to the area of the cache you want to find, turn on your GPS and follow the directions provided by the GPS. The GPS will get you reasonably close to the cache location – your family will have to search around for the actual hiding spot. A little planning before you head out will make your geocache expedition fun for everyone. Make sure everyone wears sturdy footwear, puts on sunscreen and insect repellent, and brings along some water. If kids are going on the adventure by themselves, make sure you know where they plan to go and when they will be back.

Once you find the cache, your kids can take something or leave something – small toys from fast-food restaurant, music CDs, pins, coins, etc. – and log their visit in the notebook inside the cache. Let kids use their imaginations, but don’t let them leave anything that might attract animals or be harmful to future visitors to the geocache!

Close the cache box and replace it in the hiding spot. Remind your kids to respect other people’s property and the environment while they are geocaching.

When you get home, post your visit on the geocaching website and plan your next adventure!

Visit the website’s FAQ and online forums for excellent information to help you get started. And then get outdoors!

Anne Gallant is a health promoter at Peterborough County-City Health Unit and the mother of Claire and Ethan.